Have a thought? Add to the Blog.

This is a great piece about Linvin’s history. It really fills in some gaps…while creating others. I do love writing so. Enjoy!“My dear boy, I know this look. There is something eating you up inside. There is a problem you do not admit exists and it has been bothering you since before today. When that problem comes to mind, you suppress it and vent your frustration elsewhere. Forget about tonight. Tell me what is really bothering you.” Linvin was still. He closed his eyes and tried to put aside the events of the day. At last he spoke, “My life makes no sense to me. There I was, growing up with my parents and then out of nowhere my father tells me, ‘I must send you away, son. You are destined for something greater than the life I can provide. The greatness in your future lies down a separate road than I must travel. To prepare for that, I must send you to the greatest teacher you could have, Sedemihcra.’” “‘You will be trained to be a soldier, a commander and a leader of men. He will also train you to use your mind to solve problems that force alone cannot solve. He will set you on the right path. When the time is right and your training is complete, I will send for you to return home.’” “I asked him what was at the end of my path. He had such passion in his voice as he told me, ‘One day you will make an unrivaled difference in the lives of others. The weak, the helpless, the oppressed; all will one-day look to you as their champion. They will be counting on you. I will be counting on you.’” “‘To send you away is the hardest thing I have ever done. Your mother is against this but the time has come for you to begin your training. There is so much at stake, son. You will have the chance to stand up to tyranny, oppression and all the evils of the world. That task will fall to you alone. You can rise to the challenge or turn your back. If you do turn away though, millions of people will suffer. Terrible storms are on the horizon. You are the only shelter the people will have. So you see my son, that is why you must go.’” Anvar sat his stein on the rail and began to pace. “Your parents agonized over the decision and your mother was indeed set against the entire idea, but in the end, your father would not defer. He sent you away because he knew that you needed training.”Linvin finished his ale and refilled the great vessel. “I had many years to ponder those words as I grew up in Valia. It never made sense to me but I had to trust my father’s judgment.” “So here I am at last, summoned home to fulfill my destiny. As it turns out, I am destined to be a merchant or politician and marry some cold, greedy woman who comes from the right family. I will settle down, make more money and be a proper member of society.” Linvin’s tone had been sarcastic and his movements, grandiose. He approached Anvar in a combination of frustration and anger. “So, dear uncle, best friend of Dirk Grithinshield, is this the life for which my father sent me to be trained?” Anvar shoved his tipsy nephew back into a rocker. “I can see that you have put some thought into this.” Linvin drank deeply and then answered, “Being exiled for half of your life gives one time to reflect.” “So here and now, Anvar, is this it? Is this what my future is meant to be? If it is, then why not let me stay with my parents? Why not let me learn from my father? Something is not right about all of this. The pieces do not fit together. With my father gone, I think there is one person who holds the answers I seek. That person is you, Anvar. To my knowledge you have never lied to me. So I ask you again, is this the life my father wanted for me?”